The Voices
Journalists who usually live through the challenging moments while covering the Maoist-affected areas in south Chhattisgarh’s Bastar zone, were reportedly treated roughly and threatened by the Bijapur district panchayat chief executive officer (CEO) D Rahul Venkat.
An IAS officer of 2015-batch allegedly absued the group of media persons who had gone to meet him at office premises. The irritated scribes alleged that the CEO Venkat not just badly humiliated them but also forcibly took away their cameras and mobile phones.
“The CEO called 8 of us in the meeting hall, insulted us and gave us an open threat that he can even thrash us badly”, said Mukesh Chandrakar who was among the journos present.
Expressing annoyance over the “ruthless” act of the IAS officer the journalists have decided to lodge an FIR against him for his ‘absolutely undesirable behaviour and snatching away the belongings’ of the media persons on Monday.
The Bijapur district collector K D Kunjam while talking to The Voices admitted of some issues between the journalists and the CEO district panchayat but claimed that “it has been resolved after their meeting”.
However the journalists denied it. “We will resort to an indefinite strike if our grievances are not immediately addressed. What right the IAS officer has to ill treat us and act rudely. We know that the CEO was upset with the local journalists after the media coverage on irregularities in the ODF”, Chandrakar added further.
Meanwhile the journalist fraternity in Chhattisgarh have strongly condemned the incident calling it as “unacceptable”.
